The Diocese of Imola in audience with Pope Francis for Pius VII, the speech of the Holy Father

QThis morning, in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the pilgrims from the dioceses of Cesena-Sarsina, Savona-Noli, Imola and Tivoli on the occasion of the bicentenary of the death of the servant of God Pius VII. The bishop of Imola, Msgr., was present. Giovanni Mosciatti, several priests of the diocesan clergy and faithful. We publish below the speech that the Pope addressed to those present during the meeting:

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

I greet the Cardinal, the Bishops present, the Abbots, the monks and all of you, friends of the dioceses of Cesena-Sarsina, Savona, Imola and Tivoli. I have been to Cesena.

Pope Chiaramonti was and is for all of us a great example of a good shepherd who gives his life for his flock (see John 10,11). He was a man of notable culture and piety, he was pious. Monk, Abbot, Bishop and Pope, in all these roles he has always kept intact, even at the cost of great sacrifices, his dedication to God and the Church. As in the dramatic moment of his arrest when, to those who offered him an escape route from prison in exchange for compromises regarding his pastoral responsibilities, he replied: «Not debemus, not possumus, not volumus» – «we must not, we cannot, we do not want», confirming, at the price of his personal freedom, what he had promised to do, with the help of God, on the day of his election (see Pius VII, Alloc. Ad supreme6).

Thinking about his life, I would like to underline three key values ​​that he witnessed, which are also essential for our personal and community journeys: Communionthe testimony and the mercy.

First: the Communion. Pope Pius VII was a staunch supporter and defender in times of fierce struggles and divisions. The disorders caused by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic invasions had produced and continued to foment painful rifts, both within the people of God and in their relationships with the surrounding world: bleeding wounds both moral and physical. Even the Pope seemed to be overwhelmed by it. And instead, with his calm and tenacious perseverance in defending unity, Pius VII was able to transform the arrogance of those who wanted to isolate and distance him, publicly stripping him of all dignity, into opportunities to relaunch a message of dedication and love for the Church, for which God’s people responded with enthusiasm. The result was a community that was materially poorer, but morally more cohesive, strong and credible. And his example encourages us to be, in our time, even at the cost of sacrifices, builders of unity in the universal Church, in the local Church, in parishes and in families: to make communion, to encourage reconciliation, to promote peace, faithful to the truth in charity!

One thing that helps communion a lot is knowing how to speak well. What does it mean? I say the opposite: speaking badly, chatter, destroys communion. I don’t know if there is chatter in your dioceses, I think not, because all of you have very good faces… But in case there is some chatter, there is a very good remedy: biting your tongue. When you feel like badmouthing or “skinning” someone else, bite your tongue and you will do a great job of community, of unity in the community.

And all this – communion, seeking the unity of the Church – brings us to the second point: the testimony. A man of mild nature, Pope Chiaramonti was a courageous announcer of the Gospel, with his word and with his life. He said to the Cardinal electors at the beginning of his pontificate: «The Church […] he needs Our good examples […]; so that everyone understands that no […] in pomp […], but rather in contempt of riches, in humility, in modesty, in patience, in charity and finally in every priestly duty the image of Our Creator is depicted and the authentic dimension of the Church is preserved” (ibid., 8-9 ). That’s beautiful what he said! And in fact he realized his ideal of Christian prophecy (see Saint Leo the Great, Sermo 21.3), living it and promoting it with dignity in good times and bad, both on a personal and ecclesial level, even when this led him to clash with the powerful of his time.

And finally we come to the last aspect: the mercy. Despite the heavy obstacles posed to his work by the Napoleonic events, Pope Pius VII concretized his attention for the needy, standing out for some far-reaching social reforms and initiatives, innovative in his time, such as the revision of “vassalage” relationships, with consequent emancipation of poor peasants, the abolition of many noble privileges, of “harassment”, of bribes, of the use of torture (see Pius VII, Motu proprio When for admirable disposition6 July 1816) and the establishment of a chair of surgery at the University Wisdom for the improvement of medical care and the increase of research.

He was a very intelligent man, very pious and cunning. He also knew how to carry out his imprisonment with cunning. Sometimes he sent messages hidden in his underwear; and so he managed to lead the Church, through underwear! And it’s a beautiful thing: he is an intelligent, clever man who wants to carry out the task of governing that the Lord had given him, this is beautiful.

He was also a man of charity, as he later demonstrated, in a different context, towards his persecutors: while bluntly denouncing their errors and abuses, he tried to keep a channel of dialogue open with them and above all he always offered his forgiveness. Up to granting hospitality in the states of the Church, after the restoration, precisely to the family members of that Napoleon who a few years earlier had had him imprisoned and asked for mild treatment in prison for him, now defeated. Great!

Dear brothers and sisters, there are many values ​​to which the memory of the Servant of God Pius VII reminds us: love for truth, unity, dialogue, attention to the least, forgiveness, the tenacious search for peace , and that evangelical cunning that the Lord recommends to us. It will do us good to meditate on them, make them our own and bear witness to them, so that the style of meekness and willingness to sacrifice may grow in us and in our communities. But that doesn’t mean we’re stupid, no, that’s not meekness. Meekness yes, but smart as the Lord recommends us. Simple like the dove but smart like the snake.

I thank you for coming and I accompany you with my prayers. I heartily bless all of you and your families. And I recommend you: do not forget to pray for me. Thank you!

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